Local Healthy Workplace Accreditation Guidance

Local Healthy Workplace Accreditation Guidance

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About Public Health England

Public Health England exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and

wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. We do this through world-leading science,

knowledge and intelligence, advocacy, partnerships and the delivery of specialist

public health services. We are an executive agency of the Department of Health and

Social Care, and a distinct delivery organisation with operational autonomy. We

provide government, local government, the NHS, Parliament, industry and the public

with evidence-based professional, scientific and delivery expertise and support. Public Health England Wellington House 133-155 Waterloo Road London SE1 8UG Tel: 020 7654 8000 www.gov.uk/phe Twitter: @PHE_uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/PublicHealthEngland Prepared by: Optimity Advisors For queries relating to this document, please contact: manuel.ramos@phe.gov.uk

© Crown copyright 2019 You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0. To view this licence, visit OGL. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Published July 2019 PHE publications PHE supports the UN gateway number:GW-580 Sustainable Development Goals

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Contents

About Public Health England 2

Foreword 4

Introduction to the guidance 5

Context 5

Why workplace health is important 5 Who is the guidance for? 6

What does this guidance do? 6

How was this guidance developed? 6

What is an accreditation scheme? 7

Overview of the guidance 8

Defining the purpose and objectives of a new LWHAS 9

Define the objectives and outcomes of the new accreditation scheme 9 Build a business case 11

Stakeholder Engagement 15

Map resources and gaps 15

Engage with local stakeholders at all stages of the process 16 Good practice examples 17

Setting up the scheme 20

Establish the governance arrangements 20 Good practice example 20

Design the scheme 22 Focus of the scheme 22 Baseline assessment 22 Support structure 22 Evidence process and set up of an awards structure or certification process 23 Good practice example 24

Award ceremony (optional) 26 Good practice example 26 Roll out the scheme 27 Communications and engagement 28

Monitor and evaluate the scheme 28 Good practice example 29

Appendices 31

Appendix 1: Resources to support the LWHAS 31 Appendix 2: Checklist 42 Appendix 3: References 43 Appendix 4: Stakeholder consultation 43

Appendix 5: Local PHE Centre Leads 44

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Foreword

‘Good work’ is good for health and it is Public Health England (PHE), the Local

Government Association (LGA) and the Association of Directors of Public Health’s (ADPH)

ambition to promote healthy workplaces. In line with the government’s command paper

Improving lives: the future of work, health and disability1, we are committed to reducing

health inequalities by promoting good work as a determinant of good health and

supporting employers to proactively include and enable people with ill health and/or

disability to access and stay in work. Local areas are diverse and distinct from each other;

therefore, tailored approaches are essential in setting good workplace health standards

which employers can implement. This ultimately benefits employee health and in turn, has

a positive impact on businesses and local economies.

It is the ambition of PHE, the LGA and ADPH to support evidence-based local

accreditation schemes which encourage employer-led workplace health activity. This

‘Local Healthy Workplace Accreditation Guidance’ (LHWAG) has been developed in

collaboration with local authorities (LAs) and employers and it supports LAs across

England set up local healthy workplace accreditation schemes that are tailored to their

local needs. The guidance provides a step by step guide on developing a scheme and

demonstrates case studies from across England. It also provides practical tips on how to

plan for, design and roll out a local accreditation scheme, providing examples on how

common challenges have been solved by existing schemes, and signposts to existing

national and local sources of evidence and resources to support the process.

Local Authorities have an important role to play in supporting employers create and

maintain healthy workplaces. We hope LAs will find this guidance useful and that above

all, it supports their local populations to reap the benefits of good work.

Professor John Newton,

Director of Health

Improvement, Public Health

England

Jeanelle de Gruchy,

President, Association of

Directors of Public Health

Councillor Ian Hudspeth,

Chairman, LGA Community

Wellbeing Board

1 Department for Work & Pensions & Department of Health, Improving Lives The Future of Work, Health and Disability, Report number: Cm 9526, November 2017.

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Introduction to the guidance

Context

The Government’s “Improving lives: The Future of Work, Health and Disability” command paper outlines the national vision for work and health and the importance of health-enhancing employment and employer-led workplace interventions, as workplaces have a core role to play in prevention and healthy living.2 Public Health England (PHE), the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) support all evidence-based local accreditation schemes to encourage employer-led workplace health activity and help local areas to develop their own schemes.3 This guidance was commissioned to bring together research findings and good practice case studies into one document that will help local authorities to produce their own local healthy workplace offer, tailored to their local needs and employment sector. It links in with a series of toolkits that PHE and Business in the Community (BITC) have developed, providing guidance to employers on several areas of health and wellbeing. In addition, PHE have also produced a self-assessment toolkit that allows employers to assess their organisation's mental and musculoskeletal health (see Appendix 1).

Why workplace health is important

The shared ambition of PHE and the Local Government Association (LGA) is to enable everyone to achieve their potential for a healthy and productive life. This is why the connection between employment and health is pivotal. Evidence suggests that unemployment is bad for health and likewise that ‘good work’ is an important contributor to health and wellbeing across people’s lives.4 ‘Good work’ is defined as having a safe and secure job with good working hours and conditions, supportive management and opportunities for training and development.5 Fundamentally, a healthy population is one that has the potential to be a healthy and productive workforce for industry. This is important for attracting and retaining businesses and developing dynamic and diverse communities that are sustainable for the future.

2 Department for Work & Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care (2017). Improving Lives: The Future of

Work, Health and Disability. Retrieved from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-lives-the-future-of-

work-health-and-disability 3 The Association of Directors of Public Health (2018). Policy Position: Living and Working Well. Retrieved from:

https://www.adph.org.uk/our-work/ph_policy/policy-statements/ 4 Local Government Association and Public Health England (2016). Health, work and health related worklessness. A guide

for local authorities. Retrieved from: https://www.local.gov.uk/health-work-and-health-related-worklessness-guide-local-

authorities 5 Public Health England (2019). Health matters: health and work. Retrieved from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-health-and-work/health-matters-health-and-work

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Workplace health is about promoting and managing the health and wellbeing of staff. Workplace health interventions are activities undertaken within the workplace by an employer or others, to address any health issues staff face and action to address health and safety risks.6 Health activities undertaken in the workplace are broad and can include risk management, health or medical surveillance, sickness absence management, health promotion and well-being initiatives. Not all of these activities are linked to a legal duty, but together they help employers consider and manage:

• the effect of work on their employees’ health

• the effect of employees’ health on their ability to carry out their work

Who is the guidance for?

This guidance is written for local authorities and their partners who are planning to, or are in the process of, setting up a Local Workplace Health Accreditation Scheme (LWHAS). This guidance may also provide practical examples and references to those Local Authorities who are not setting up an accreditation scheme, but who are promoting workplace health in their local area.

What does this guidance do?

This guidance provides practical tips on how to plan for, design and roll out a LWHAS. It gives examples on how common challenges have been solved by existing schemes and signposts to existing national and local sources of evidence and resources to support the process. Research suggests there is no one-size-fits all, therefore this guidance provides practical examples from existing workplace health schemes, rather than evidence-based interventions. For more information on what works, please consult PHE’s ‘What good local health at work looks like’ which is part of the What Good Looks Like programme.7

How was this guidance developed?

This guidance, supported by the LGA and Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), was developed with the support of several local authorities, existing workplace health schemes and stakeholder organisations. A full list can be found in Appendix 4. The case studies in this toolkit have been sourced and written following consultation with existing workplace health accreditation schemes. Furthermore, the guidance is informed by the evidence reviews performed by the Work Foundation, RAND Europe and Research Works.89

6 Public Health England (2018). Workplace health: applying All Our Health. Retrieved from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workplace-health-applying-all-our-health/workplace-health-applying-all-our-

health 7 Public Health England. What good local health at work looks like. Forthcoming. 8 The Work Foundation (2019). Workplace health interventions and accreditation schemes. A rapid evidence review and

global mapping exercise. Retrieved from: http://www.theworkfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Workplace-

health-interventions-and-accreditation-schemes-FINAL.pdf 9 RAND Europe (2018). Promising practices for health and wellbeing at work: A review of the evidence landscape.

Retrieved from: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2409.html

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What is an accreditation scheme?

An evidence-based Local Workplace Health Accreditation Scheme (LWHAS) is a

mechanism to promote comprehensive methods of managing health within an

integrated workplace programme which combines occupational health, Human

Resources, health and safety and workforce wellbeing.10

A 2018 survey conducted by PHE with directors of Public Health and Public Health

consultants revealed that the main strengths of LWHAS were:

• to provide a set standard and a framework for employers to improve health

• to engage local businesses and build relationships

• to provide an opportunity to demonstrate good work and strengthen the offer as a good employer

• to make improvements in the workplace that enhance health and wellbeing

• to provide links into local health promotion related activity and knowledge of the local area

• to have a local audit of good practice

• to set up a scheme that can be tailored to local economy and local businesses A Local Workplace Health Accreditation Scheme generally entails the following process: Figure 1: LWHAS process

10 PHE (2018). Workplace health: applying All Our Health. Available from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workplace-health-applying-all-our-health/workplace-health-applying-all-our-

health

1

4

6

Validation from the scheme

The scheme assesses the evidence provided

by the organisations against their criteria.

Award (optional)

An awards ceremony is hosted, often on an annual basis, by the

scheme to celebrate outstanding organisations.

2

Baseline assessment

Applying organisations complete some form of self-assessment about their organisation’s health.

Accreditation

If criteria are met sufficiently, the applicant is

awarded with accreditation.

5

Evidence is presented

Organisations implement a plan to

improve health and present the evidence to the scheme.

3

Businesses sign up

Organisations sign up to the local healthy workplace

accreditation scheme.

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Overview of the guidance

This guidance is built up of several elements, which are visualised below. The guidance recognises that each workplace context is different and therefore the individual elements should be seen as foundational building blocks that can be used as and when relevant. Figure 2: Overview of the guidance

Setting up the scheme

Stakeholder engagement

Mapping of resources

The business case

Design

Implementation

Evaluation

Engaging local partners

Vision and mission

Purpose and objectives

Governance

Stakeholder engagement

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Defining the purpose and objectives of a new LWHAS

Define the objectives and outcomes of the new accreditation scheme

Firstly, consider:

• why is there a need for a workplace health scheme and what are you trying to achieve

• will the scheme address health and wellbeing as a whole, is it more focused on health and safety, and will it address disability and equality

Your local PHE Centre Lead can provide public health expertise and support around areas to focus on and their contact details can be found in Appendix 5. The objectives of the scheme should be defined during the initial planning stage of the LWHAS. It is important to involve key stakeholders in defining them and consider the needs of the employers in your area. Objectives should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Agreed upon, Realistic and Time-based.

Example of a vision statement - Better Health at Work Award11

“For too long, the North East has had a reputation of being an ‘unhealthy’ place to live

and work; unfortunately borne out by our fairly shocking life expectancy rate and high

long-term sickness and disability figures.

To help combat this, a partnership project unique to the North East was created and

Better Health at Work was established to take health and wellbeing into the workplace.

This partnership has now been taken forward by eleven of the region's Local Authorities,

the NHS and the Northern TUC, with the support and endorsement from Public Health

England.

Workplace Health is an important and integral part of the regional public health strategy

and is even more relevant in these challenging times, when companies need to use

every tool available to ensure their productivity and competitiveness.

With more than 400 regional employers participating in the scheme so far, as well as the

very favourable findings of at least two independent evaluations, both the need for and

effectiveness of the Award for all concerned is clear. Individuals benefit from increased access to health information and interventions where they wouldn't normally - in more than one instance, workplace activity generated by the Award has potentially saved lives - identifying dangerously high cholesterol levels and early stage cancers. At the same time, employers benefit from improved morale, dramatically lower levels of absenteeism and increased productivity. There are few more apparent win-win situations.”

11 BHAWA. Good work is good for you. Employer Information Guide. Retrieved from: http://www.betterhealthatworkne.org/documents/newsletters/8/Emp%20Guide%20COMPRESSED.pdf

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Secondly, define the measurable outcomes of the LWHAS:

• the outcomes you expect to see (for example, number of businesses signed up)

• the impact you hope to have (reduced absenteeism, improved employee satisfaction for example)

Outcomes can be formulated for the short and the long term. Use a logic model to define how your inputs will lead to the desired outcomes. If you want to know more about building a logic model, consult the HM Treasury Magenta Book.12 Figure 3: Example of a logic model

12 HM Treasury (2011). Magenta Book. Retrieved from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-magenta-book

These are the resources for the LWHAS (funding, people, etc.)

OUTPUTS

OBJECTIVES

INPUTS

PROCESSES

These are the short-term and medium-

term results or changes expected from the LWHAS

OUTCOMES

IMPACT

This is the vision of the LWHAS and the aims it’s trying to achieve

These are the activities planned to set up the LWHAS

The expected outputs should be the measurable & direct products

The expected outputs should be measurable & direct products of the LWHAS

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Build a business case

Internal business case

So far, this document has explained why workplace health is important, which helps with making the business case within Local Authority and partner organisations for building a LWHAS. How you want to set up the business case, depends on your internal context. See the ‘External business case’ section for advice on how to structure a formal business case. To start with, you should:

• know what other departments within the Local Authority are doing, so you can combine the service offer

• know what the internal sign-off process is

• know what time and resource is required to inform budget decisions (see ‘Map resources and gaps’)

When there is leadership approval and engagement, the Local Authority should lead by example, such as considering working towards accreditation and independent assessment of its own efforts to improve workplace health.

External business case

An external business case that considers the benefits of the LWHAS to employers and employees is important. Research has shown that business uptake of workplace health schemes is low. This is because not all businesses are aware of or are convinced by the benefits of a LWHAS or there is a perception that the costs outweigh the benefits. Different employers have varying levels of understanding of the importance of workplace health and wellbeing, and this needs to be considered when building a business case. Additionally, there is competition from existing, well-known schemes, so be clear about why the LWHAS you offer is different, e.g. because it is tailored to local needs and involves local partners in the design or implementation. Speak to a small selection of businesses to understand their motivations and needs. This will help you to identify what information and statistics you need to include in your business case. When taking action on health, it is important for employers to use their limited resources in an effective way that takes account of the size and nature of their business. This should always begin with an assessment of their health needs and it is helpful for employers to implement a structured two-step approach, by:

1 Identifying needs resulting from considering the effect of work on employee

health;

2 Considering the effect of employees’ health on their ability to carry out their

work.

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Present to employers what the LWHAS aims to achieve. The resources in Appendix 1 include the latest on workplace health evidence, which can be used by local authorities when building the scheme. Common themes to include in your business case are:

• positive impact of a healthy workforce on employee satisfaction

• benefits of a healthy workforce for businesses

• positive impact of a healthy workforce on productivity

• positive impact of a healthy workforce on absenteeism

• benefits of signing up to an accreditation scheme and receiving awards on the business reputation

• benefits of signing up to an accreditation scheme and receiving awards on recruitment and retention of employees

Additionally, HM Treasury’s Green book (2018) contains a guide to developing a programme business case. It provides a practical “step by step” guide to the development of business cases, using the Five Case Model.13 Table 2: HM Treasury’s Five Case Model

Strategic

dimension

What is the case for change, including the rationale for intervention? What is the current situation? What is to be done? What outcomes are expected? How do these fit with wider government policies and objectives?

Economic

dimension

What is the net value to society (the social value) of the intervention compared to continuing with Business As Usual? What are the risks and their costs, and how are they best managed? Which option reflects the optimal net value to society?

Commercial

dimension

Can a realistic and credible commercial deal be struck? Who will manage which risks?

Financial

dimension

What is the impact of the proposal on the public sector budget in terms of the total cost of both capital and revenue?

Management

dimension

Are there realistic delivery plans? How can the proposal be implemented?

In Table 3 we have provided two examples of business cases made by existing LWHAS. The first example focuses on the evidence of the scheme, the second speaks about the benefits in more general terms.

13 HM Treasury (2018). Guide to developing the programme business case. Retrieved from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-green-book-appraisal-and-evaluation-in-central-governent

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Table 3: Examples of a business case - Better Health at Work Award and Healthy Workplace (Be Healthy at Work)

Example 1: Better Health at Work Award

Source: http://www.betterhealthatworkne.org/documents/newsletters/3/Employer%20Information%20Guide.pdf

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Example 2: Healthy Workplace (Be Healthy at Work)

Source: https://www.behealthyatwork.org/2018%20branding/Healthy%20workplace%20postcard%202018_web.pdf

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Stakeholder Engagement

Map resources and gaps

Before building a LWHAS, it is recommended to define what inputs you plan to, and

can, put into the scheme. You should consider:

• the time, money and people you can dedicate to building and maintaining the scheme

• the inclusion of professionals with a range of backgrounds, when selecting the team members within the Local Authority

• the already existing assets that you can utilise, e.g. network relationships that can leveraged, social media channels already in place

• the gaps in terms of time, money, people and relationships

Some schemes who had limited available resources have used partnerships with

business networks, membership organisations, charities, NHS and other public

organisations to share resources and/or provide services. Others have pooled

resources with a neighbouring local authority. Externally commissioning delivery is

also a possibility.

Do a mapping exercise of the resources you have:

• identify stakeholders, their relative importance in achieving your objectives and the roles they will play

• involve the implementation team in developing a list of stakeholders to think beyond the usual groups

• sort through your list and identify those that will have the most influence or interest on the project

Why engage with stakeholders:

• ensures strategic fit of the LWHAS with local priorities

• sounding board – helps shape thinking

• helps create joint ownership

• a network to communicate messages through

• influencer to end users

• provide practical support – case studies, visits, venues

• build and maintain the reputation of the LWHAS

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You can make use of the below matrix to identify within each group where stakeholders sit and what level of engagement is required. Figure 4: Stakeholder matrix

Engage with local stakeholders at all stages of the process

The mapping exercise performed in the previous section should provide an idea of which local stakeholders you are already connected to and who you need to establish a relationship with. To establish relationships with new stakeholders, you can consider to:

Use existing networks to link in with stakeholders you are not already connected

with. You can do this through partnerships with Local Enterprise Partnerships,

Chamber of Commerce, business networks, regulatory services and business

“champions”. They can be a good way into untapped networks.

Ask some highly engaged businesses to become ambassadors to other businesses.

Businesses listen to each other.

Find opportunities to discuss LWHAS. Other schemes have engaged with small to

large businesses. They have done this by mapping out business meetings

happening in the local area, asking management boards to be added to the agenda

and use the slot as an opportunity to discuss LWHAS.

Try to understand your target audience and adapt the tone of your communications

to reflect their perspective. Other schemes recommend avoiding directive language

and the need to ‘sell’, rather invite them to be part of a conversation.

Involve an appropriate mix of stakeholders from the beginning of the development of

the LWHAS. Other schemes suggest engaging with stakeholders beyond only

employers, such as trade unions, clinical experts, charities, NHS, local service

High Influence/ Low Interest

Strategy: Motivate

High Influence/ High Interest

Strategy: Form Partnerships

Low Influence/ Low Interest

Strategy: Conduct Outreach

Low Influence/ High Interest

Strategy: Keep Informed

Infl

uen

ce

Interest Level

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providers and membership organisations who are needed to provide a perspective

and an evidence base to help build a business case.

Engage with employees of the businesses you’re working with directly, or work

through organisations representing employees, such as industry representatives

and trade unions. Engaging with local businesses will give you a better understanding of their motivations and their needs. This way, you can present to them the most important information or statistics of workplace health that will draw their attention to the LWHAS. You can draw on the Resources in Appendix 1 and local insight to answer their questions. Once you have the right mix of stakeholders together, invite them to:

• co-design the LWHAS

• test whether the objectives you set for the scheme resonate with them

• give their feedback after every stage or change made to the LWHAS

Good practice examples

Thrive at Work

Utilise existing business networks e.g. LEPs and Chambers of Commerce. Pre-

existing relationships of our partners with businesses worked better than generic

emails and contact.

We built a network of champions who are passionate and committed to the

programme to help promote the programme.

We have found more engagement has come when we have demonstrated an

established evidence-based product.

We also hold numerous showcase events to build and maintain the interest.

Better Health at Work Award

As the BHAWA is now a decade old, we are in a very unique position, so

recruitment practice and need is different. A lot of our recruitment is driven by word-

of-mouth and internal employer forum promotion and we are in the fortunate position

to have rafts of evidence and real employer case studies/ examples.

One of the first tasks we undertook as Coordinators was to establish a professional/

corporate brand that is consistent and recognisable, and all materials reflect both

the brand identity and the position of the Award as a dedicated workplace

tool/resource.

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We also have a dedicated website which helps add to the credibility. All external/

recruitment materials we produce speak to the business case for workplace health.

We have also had success working with other employer bodies such as the CIPD –

often doing a dedicated presentation at their CPD events.

It is also worthwhile using an asset-based approach within the LA in terms of

integrating messages into departments/ functions beyond Public health, i.e.

environmental health has significant contacts with employers, as do Business and

Economic Regen teams. Any good workplace health and wellbeing programme

should be able to be marketed as a valuable ‘offer’ for employers.

Working through the TUC and affiliated trade unions can also offer an effective and

productive route into employers.

Cornwall Healthy Workplace (Be Healthy at Work)

At setup phase, we attended as many business meetings as possible to build a

network, raise awareness of workplace health, invite to co-design and increase

uptake.

Set up a local workgroup of businesses. Every change made goes back to this

workgroup to get feedback/sign off.

We hold regular network meetings and Healthy Workplace forums for workplaces to

attend and hear from other workplaces what they are doing and how the programme

has improved the health and wellbeing for them.

Annual conference with key note speakers on the importance of workplace health

and the impact it has on a business. We always use this opportunity to ask

attendees for feedback on how we can improve our service and always listen to our

stakeholders.

Dedicated website with real local case studies to inspire workplaces to join.

Small businesses

Many small businesses do not have a Human Resources function and those within

the business who look after staff often also manage employment, recruitment,

salaries and training, making it challenging to handle any other requests.

Generally, small businesses may struggle to provide appropriate adjustments for

employees who are disabled, or who have long term health problems. Small

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businesses are less likely to use occupational health schemes than larger

businesses. To reach small businesses:

• communicate through media channels that small businesses are likely to consume. Conduct research to find out which channels they use, e.g. the local business magazine

• approach other trusted sources such as accountants and Growth Hubs run by Local Enterprise Partnerships

• ask large businesses to extend their service offer to their supply chair, or to make this part of their award criteria. For example, they could be encouraged to make a mental health helpline accessible to smaller businesses in the supply chain

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Setting up the scheme

Establish the governance arrangements

At this stage, you need to:

• define who will be running the LWHAS and what their responsibilities will be. Depending on available resources, the governance structure can be extensive or more light-touch. At a minimum, an accreditation scheme needs operational staff and a small oversight committee for evidence review and accreditation

• draft a ‘Terms of Reference’ document which includes the roles and responsibilities, the membership, the frequency of meetings and reporting mechanisms

• develop an information governance strategy in line with GDPR An example of a governance structure is provided in Table 4. Table 4: Example of governance structure

Role Description

Oversight Takes strategic decisions Reviews accreditation criteria Signs off on structural changes Represents the LWHAS in high profile networks

Coordination Oversees the activities by operational team Design of the LWHAS Drives the LWHAS forward Responsible for continuous improvement Responsible for evaluation

Operations Day-to-day delivery of the scheme Recruitment of new businesses Undertaking of health needs assessment Supporting and signposting businesses Sends out communications

Good practice example

Please note that the examples provided are regional examples. At local level a governance structure may be more basic.

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Thrive at Work:

“The Implementation Director for Thrive oversees the programme and sits on

several regional and national health and wellbeing boards. The programme is led by

a medically qualified consultant in Public health with a team including a Mental

Health Commission coordinator, accreditation manager, implementation manager

and corporate support officers. Decisions are approved at the West Midlands

Combined Authority board.”

Better Health at Work Award:

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Design the scheme

Focus of the scheme

Once you have established your most important stakeholders, you can work together to define what the focus of the LWHAS should be, based on their needs. Most LWHAS have a ‘general health and wellbeing’ focus covering several aspects of employee health and wellbeing, including: physical health, mental health, diet, exercise, smoking cessation, alcohol use monitoring, sickness absence monitoring; health and safety, etc. PHE have developed toolkits for several health and wellbeing areas, which are signposted in Appendix 1. Also consider if the LWHAS’s focus is on SMEs, large businesses or both. Baseline assessment

Define how the health needs of employees will be assessed:

• will it be based on health priorities identified by the local authority

• will the local authority conduct a baseline assessment of the businesses who are part of the scheme or will it be a self-assessment

• will the assessment include input from employees When defining the needs assessment, consider:

• how the decision will influence the level of consistency of the accreditation

• whether the assessment will be completed online or in-person

• how taking a day out of a small business’ week by scheduling a visit from an external assessor is very costly. Asking them to do a self-assessment may be met with less reluctance

See Appendix 1 for examples of health needs assessments. Support structure

Define what structure to put in place to support businesses in making changes. This can include training, service provision, mentoring, advice, etc. Consider that:

• training can be developed by the LWHAS, but you can also link in with local or national campaigns such as One You, or NHS Health Checks, or campaigns run by charities

• the LWHAS can develop a function that signposts to local services. This can be as a website/portal database, helpline, or face to face through one-to-one or sector meetings

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Table 5: Examples of support

Examples of support

Access to health advocate training and handbooks

Central guidance materials, toolkits including resources to help fulfil the LWHAS criteria

Induction sessions

Telephone, email and face-to-face support as needed

Workplace visits from a dedicated workplace health improvement specialist

Website resources portal

(E-)newsletters

Networking and info via a closed Facebook page

Other central training opportunities – e.g. alcohol awareness, case study training

Local or cluster networking/events/meetings to share good practice and learning

Pre-assessment visits/feedback

Assessments

Evidence process and set up of an awards structure or certification process

By now, you will have established who will be responsible for reviewing evidence. At

this stage, define what evidence you need to collect to assess the employer’s

workplace health and wellbeing activity and how the evidence will be collected. You

should then:

• make the use of existing local or national services count as evidence towards accreditation, for example the use of NHS Health Checks among employees

• consider using government’s voluntary reporting framework on disability, mental health and wellbeing to support businesses to collect and report data and/or information about the steps they are taking to build healthier workplaces14

• decide whether the evidence will be reviewed externally (to the scheme). Keep in mind that this has an influence on the consistency of the accreditation

• decide if you are going to offer an award. Many schemes offer an award as an incentive to businesses to participate in the scheme and make positive changes

If you decide to offer an award, decide whether you will build in a staggered

approach (levels within an award), what will the standards for this staggered

approach be, and link the set of standards to an award structure. A benefit of a

staggered approach is that it keeps businesses engaged over a longer term as they

will try to reach the next level. On the other hand, keep in mind that for companies

who do not have the resources to reach a higher level, it may have a demoralising

effect. Below, a few examples are listed of what can be offered to smaller

businesses.

14 See DWP’s Voluntary reporting on disability, mental health and wellbeing:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/voluntary-reporting-on-disability-mental-health-and-wellbeing.

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You will also need to decide the criteria employers need to fulfil to reach the starting

level (e.g. bronze award) and what they need to demonstrate to move up to

subsequent levels. Your local PHE centre can provide feedback on the standards.

You could also explore the option of offering a next level such as ‘platinum’ or

‘ambassador’ status, once businesses reach gold status. This could mean more

publication about their best practice or assigning them a mentoring role to other

businesses.

It can save time to have an online portal in place on which employers can upload

their evidence. For example, Thrive at Work have developed a dashboard where

each organisation has their own login details and dashboard. They upload evidence

of progress against the criteria which the assessor reviews and can then approve or

reject. Businesses can see any developments as they make progress. Once an

organisation feels they are ready for accreditation they can request an assessor site

visit where the assessor will review any remaining evidence and speak to employers

and employees to confirm the programme criteria are in place and being

implemented effectively.

Good practice example

Thrive at Work

We used numerous workshops with experts in the field (e.g. mental health,

musculoskeletal disorders, etc.) and businesses to develop and refine the criteria

and ensure up to date relevant national guidance and evidence was incorporated

into developing the criteria. Careful consideration was given to what a universal

(bronze level) offer looked like, and what would be manageable and a good

achievement by small businesses with minimal financial commitment, and what we

could ask larger organisations to do in silver and gold level. It took over 18 months

to get to completion stage. The programme has been endorsed by HEE and is

being reviewed for accreditation by an awarding body. We are envisaging re-

accreditation every 3 years and wouldn’t expect organisations to upload new

evidence for all elements, however we would expect to review important

documents/areas to ensure they are up to date, and that staff confirm that the

programme is still being put in place.

Better Health at Work Award

10 years down the line, our criteria have changed and evolved quite a bit, but they

were originally predicated on the best workplace programmes that were around at

the inception, so those in Scotland, Wales and regionally in the NE. As part of our

quality assurance and continuous improvement processes, we conduct a

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comprehensive criteria review for all levels every year. This takes into account any

significant changes in regional/national PH priorities (new evidence/ guidance) and

draws expertise from all of our governance structures, but mostly the Operational

personnel who have to work with it daily and get the direct employer feedback. It is

important to note that one of the strengths of the BHAWA is its progression-based

approach; with all participants having to begin at Bronze and work their way up

through the levels – and we also ensure that the criteria (and marketing etc)

categorically doesn’t preclude or exclude different size/sector workplaces from

engaging. Participants receive new accreditation via a full assessment and portfolio

submission, usually on a yearly basis. All accreditations are valid for 18 months from

the date of issue and lapse after that.

Cornwall Healthy Workplace (Be Healthy at Work)

Every two years the programme criteria are reviewed and refreshed to ensure it

continues to follow NICE guidelines, evidence-based practice and local

developments and support. We have a number of important partners that we

consult with when updating and refreshing the criteria such as: Public Health, NHS

Trusts (CPFT & RCHT), Cornwall Sports Partnership, Cornwall College, Cornwall

Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Cornwall Council, Local Businesses, Business

Networks, HSE, South West Occupational Health Nurse Group, South West Healthy

Workplace Regional Group, Public Health England, Voluntary Sector, Regional &

National Partners for example: BHF, Plymouth Live-well South west, Local

Enterprise Partnership, Environment & Human Health Centre, Diabetes UK,

Macmillan Cancer, Cancer Research UK and many more. Annually the Workplace

Health Coordinator speaks with Dame Carol Black and her recommendations this

year (2019) included – Finance, Women’s Health, Sleep, Obesity and Carers. We

re-assess every 12 months, which happens throughout the year across Cornwall.

Each award is valid for one year. It can be onerous for small businesses to provide the evidence required to qualify for an award. Existing schemes have explored different options to cater for small and micro businesses so they feel supported and can sign up to schemes. Examples of these approaches include:

• offer a separate award strand for small and micro businesses they can sign up to, with its own award structure, assessment and criteria for obtaining the awards

• alternatively, within the staggered approach flexibility of the evidence requirements could be built in for small businesses. They may rely on more ‘anecdotal’ evidence, such as emails, rather than more official data collection structures

• another way is to make awards optional as part of the support that the scheme offers to small businesses. This way, instead of an award, the scheme can offer certification for more light-touch accreditation.

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Award ceremony (optional)

As stated before, award ceremonies are optional. Some benefits of an award

ceremony are:

• they are a good way to celebrate success, which is important to keep businesses motivated and engaged in the medium and long term

• they are also a good opportunity for businesses to meet each other, share learning and provide support

• they allow you to invite members who have not participated in the awards, using the occasion to promote the scheme, make the benefits of workplace health to businesses, promote local services, and offer networking opportunities

• they allow you to engage with local media as a way to publicise your scheme

Local authorities who are low on resources, can consider hosting the award

ceremony at the offices of one of the businesses in their scheme. It gives positive

publicity to the business and it can save resources for the local authority.

Alternatively, instead of organising your own ceremony an option is to provide a

category award within an existing local business award. Another option is for a

certificate or award to be celebrated by a press release.

Good practice example

Thrive at Work:

We held showcase and network meetings by theme and sector, for example

showcase meetings for head teachers due to the high level of absenteeism in

schools. This means we can tailor to their requirements in relation to OFSTED. We

get in external speakers and showcase approaches to fulfilling the criteria, which

have been positively received.

Better Health at Work Award:

In our experience, it is important to have both award ceremonies and peer-network

meetings. As the BHAWA covers a wide geographical area we have to have

multiple ceremonies to accommodate all of the participants and areas. Several of

our LAs cluster to make the events more easily manageable and share the

organisation. Several of them have also made the awards events cost neutral/ self-

funding by offering sponsorship opportunities to their participating workplaces. One

cluster has formed a ‘working group’ for the Celebration event that includes their

Ambassador workplaces and their input was extremely helpful in terms of an

employer voice and a [practical] contribution to the delivery of the event.

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Some of the smaller LAs who don’t cluster combine awards (for example, healthy

schools and BHAWA) to make it more cost and time effective.

We have found that one of the most valuable things you can provide for participants

is peer support and mentoring, so quarterly networking events with facilitated

sharing of best practice/ experiences are always well-received and yields lots of

positive outcomes. Again, using an asset-based approach works here – i.e. asking if

any of the participants are willing or able to host the event.

Cornwall Healthy Workplace (Be Healthy at Work)

We hold an annual conference and award ceremony each year in mid-Cornwall.

Dame Carol Black supports and presents as our key note speaker and we run

various workshops for ideas and best practice that businesses can take back to their

workplaces. Following our workshops, the Healthy Workplace Award Ceremony

aims to reward and recognise local workplaces in their achievement of the Healthy

Workplace Award and also inspire new workplaces, which are just getting started.

The event aims to:

• provide a national overview and update on Workplace Health

• provide some interactive workshops and activities for delegates to take back to workplaces

• provide information on forthcoming events such as the ‘Annual Cornwall Beach Games’ and ‘Local Business Forums’

• provide networking opportunities and showcase local case studies from workplaces

We also hold regular network meetings / Healthy Workplace forums throughout the

year for workplaces to attend and hear from other workplaces on what they are

doing and how the programme has improved the health and wellbeing for them.

Roll out the scheme

When the governance group feels that the design stage is finished, here are some considerations for the roll out of the scheme:

Decide if you build in a pilot phase or not. Pilots can help to hone the design of the

scheme through real-life feedback. It may help to start small and then scale up, for

example to start in one area of health, or with one specific sector, or with a small

pool of businesses you have established a close working relationship with. The

target audience links in with the focus defined at the beginning.

Establish an annual plan in which you set expectations for the number of

businesses to attract and how you will approach them.

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The relationships established in the co-design phase can now be leveraged to start

recruiting businesses.

Train up a health champion within the workplace, who can promote the

organisation’s workplace health goals. Communications and engagement

Continuous communication is necessary to keep businesses engaged and to keep

workplace health at the forefront of their minds, but also engagement with service

providers and other local authorities is important to stay relevant, link in with existing

initiatives and share learning.

What:

• celebrate success

• putting initiatives under spotlight

• sharing good practice

• fostering peer support

How:

• events for businesses

• newsletters and press releases

• workshops for selected audiences (e.g. with case studies on what’s worked, or

what is challenging businesses)

• social media

With:

• businesses and business representatives

• service providers

• wider LA

• press and local media

Monitor and evaluate the scheme

Demonstrating the impact of the workplace health scheme is important to make a

business case, as well as to feed into the national evidence base. It is therefore

essential to continuously collect data on your scheme. Think about the following

points when setting up your evaluation:

• the evaluation should link back to each output and outcome that was defined in the logic model established at the planning stage of the LWHAS

• the outputs in the logic model relate to the process of the LWHAS, i.e. sign up, uptake of local services, events organised, etc

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• the outcomes in the logic model relate to the impact of the scheme, i.e. the health outcomes of employees, productivity and absenteeism rates and the impact on the wider local economy.

• define for each stage what your outputs and outcomes are. For example, in the early implementation stage outcomes relate to reach and uptake. When the scheme is well established in the community, you can start measuring how the scheme is impacting on workplace health

• define per output and outcome what method you are going to employ for measurement. An example is given below

• case studies of employers (un)successfully implementing workplace health interventions can be a good way to demonstrate the impact of the scheme, if a more thorough evaluation is unfeasible

Table 6: Example of output indicators

Example Outputs

Indicators Source Method

Employers have signed up to the LWHAS

Number of businesses in the LWHAS

(Online) Register Quantitative

The LWHAS recruitment strategy is effective

Out of the businesses that have expressed interest, 50% have signed up or are planning to sign up

Stakeholder engagement plan (Formal and informal expressions of interest) CRM system

Quantitative

Table 7: Example of outcome indicators

Example Outcome

Indicators Source Method

A % reduction in absenteeism

Recorded events of absenteeism

HR records Quantitative

Good practice example

Better Health at Work Award

We have a comprehensive and bespoke management information system to

capture data and monitor progress and information. We have also tailored the

assessment documents to provide indicative outcome data (at a workplace level)

that we collate and analyse. We also mandate the production of employer case

studies at all levels beyond bronze so we can capture qualitative and quantitative

information. This is utilised for multiple purposes, including for sharing best practice

and training sessions. Examples of data analysis and case studies can be provided

– these are also used to add to our evidence and business case.

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Thrive at Work

We use analytical software on the website and dashboard to measure interest,

clicks, usage and progress on the programme. We also collate feedback via

questionnaires aiming to address common queries and are in the process of

developing FAQs.

Cornwall Healthy Workplace (Be Healthy at Work)

We have a bespoke dedicated website that workplaces sign up to. In our members

area they can input their evidence, and track their sickness absence & staff turnover

to monitor progress and use the portal to develop an action plan to follow. We are

also able to use the Content Management System of the website to measure

success of the programme by monitoring and evaluating both quantitative and

qualitative methods. This includes number of workplaces engaged, return of

investment, reduce of sickness absence as well as the sharing of best practice,

ideas and real local case studies for workplaces to use. We always ask attendees of

our forums and annual conference for feedback on how we can improve our service

and always listen to our stakeholders.

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Resources to support the LWHAS

Signpost to current guidance and facts & figures

Public Health England (PHE)

Health matters: health and work. Guidance that provides actions that employers in

general, local authorities, and the NHS workforce can take with regards to health

and work.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-health-and-work/health-

matters-health-and-work

Collection Workplace health

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/workplace-health#supporting-the-

business-case-for-workplace-health-intervention

Guidance. Workplace health: applying All Our Health.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workplace-health-applying-all-our-

health/workplace-health-applying-all-our-health

In collaboration with Business in the Community: Toolkits on sleep and recovery,

physical activity, healthy eating and healthier weight, drugs, alcohol and tobacco

and domestic abuse.

https://wellbeing.bitc.org.uk/tools-impact-stories/toolkits

In collaboration with Business in the Community: Self- assessment toolkit on mental

and musculoskeletal health. in collaboration with Business in the Community.

https://wellbeing.bitc.org.uk/all-resources/toolkits/self-assessment-toolkit

PHE’s interactive return on investment (ROI) tool, Movement into employment:

estimation of benefits from moving individuals into employment, can be used by

local decision-makers to assess the health and financial benefits (for individuals, the

economy and wider society) of helping people in their area back into work.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/movement-into-employment-return-on-

investment-tool

PHE and Healthy Working Future’s Workplace health needs assessment document

provides practical advice on workplace health and a tool for carrying out workplace

health needs assessments for employers of all types and sizes.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workplace-health-needs-assessment

PHE and the Local Government Association (LGA) developed a guide for local

authorities on health, work and health-related worklessness. This provides

resources for local government and highlights practical ways local authorities can

address worklessness while promoting health in the workplace, alongside case

studies of best practice from across the country.

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https://www.local.gov.uk/health-work-and-health-related-worklessness-guide-local-

authorities

PHE and the Work Foundation worked together to produce a series of health and

work infographics to help raise awareness and understanding of the relationship

between health and work.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-work-infographics

Briefing to help local enterprise partnerships (LEP) understand the relationship

between health and work, worklessness and economic growth.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-work-worklessness-and-

economic-growth-lep-briefing

PHE’s Work, worklessness and health: local infographic tool, developed from the

national work and health infographics, include Work, worklessness and health slide

sets with regional and local level data relating to work, worklessness and health for

each county or unitary authority in England.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-worklessness-and-health-local-

infographic-tool

https://app.box.com/s/vfl9xi3b1f207w9q0b8c74tgij6mk910

PHE’s One You campaign provides simple steps to help adults take control of their

health, including eating a healthier diet, drinking less alcohol, doing more physical

activity and quitting smoking. This, in turn, will help adults get into and retain a job,

which itself is good for health. There is a wide range of One You resources that can

be downloaded and ordered for free, including banners, posters, toolkits and

messages.

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/

https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/campaigns/44-one-you/resources

Fingertips is a web platform that provides easy access to in-depth analysis of a wide

range of health and health related data in thematic profiles.

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

Collection of all NICE products on workplaces: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/settings/workplaces/products?ProductType=Guidance&Status=Published

NICE. Workplace health: long-term sickness absence and incapacity to work

(PH19). London: NICE, 2009.

NICE. Physical activity in the workplace (PH13). London: NICE, 2008.

NICE. Mental wellbeing at work (PH22). London: NICE, 2009.

NICE. Smoking: workplace interventions (PH5). London: NICE, 2007.

NICE. Physical activity and the environment (NG90). London: NICE, 2018.

NICE. Workplace health: management practices (NG13). London: NICE 2015

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Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Health and Safety Executive guidance

http://www.hse.gov.uk/guidance/index.htm

Health and safety made simple: Basics for businesses

http://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/index.htm

HSE and Local Authority (LA) regulators working together.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/lau/index.htm

Health and safety statistics 2017/18

http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/index.htm#utm_source=hse.gov.uk&utm_medium=r

efferal&utm_campaign=annualstats&utm_term=stats&utm_content=home-page-

news

Advice on Competent Advisors

http://www.hse.gov.uk/health-surveillance/setup/competent-advisors.htm

Appointed doctors

http://www.hse.gov.uk/doctors/index.htm

What is health surveillance?

http://www.hse.gov.uk/health-surveillance/what/index.htm

Tackling occupational disease

http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/occupational-disease/index.htm

Occupational health: the value proposition

https://www.som.org.uk/sites/som.org.uk/files/Occupational_health_%20the_value_

proposition.pdf

World Health Organization (WHO)

WHO healthy workplace framework and model: background and supporting

literature and practices

https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/113144

Five Keys to Healthy Workplaces

https://www.who.int/occupational_health/5_keys_EN_web.pdf?ua=1

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)

Information and practical advice for businesses on mental health and general

wellbeing. Included are ideas and suggestions that they can try if they are looking to

improve wellbeing of their staff.

https://www.fsb.org.uk/standing-up-for-you/our-campaigns/wellbeing-hub/wellbeing-

in-small-business-hub

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Signpost to existing schemes

Better Health at Work Award http://www.betterhealthatworkne.org/

Area North East and Cumbria

Since 2009

Topics covered Alcohol and drug use

Mental health and wellbeing

Healthy eating

Health and safety

Smoking

The workplace environment (drinking water, washing facilities,

clean toilets, eating facilities, etc.)

Physical activity

Equality and diversity

Health checks/screening

Bullying and harassment

Social Value

Workforce consultation and evaluation

Policy formulation, procedures and practice

Discrete topics: SRH, financial wellbeing, domestic abuse,

sustainability

Type of support As a minimum, participants receive:

Access to health advocate training (repeated) and Handbooks

Central guidance materials

Induction sessions

Telephone, email and face-to-face support as needed; a

minimum of 2 workplace visits per cycle from a dedicated

Workplace health Improvement Specialist

A website resources portal

A bi-monthly central e-newsletter

Networking and info via a closed Facebook page

Other central training opportunities – e.g. alcohol awareness,

case study training

Local or cluster Networking/ Sharing Best practice evens,

including CPD

Support from the regional coordination team

Pre-assessment visits/feedback

Assessments

Award structure Bronze

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Better Health at Work Award http://www.betterhealthatworkne.org/

Silver

Gold

Continuing Excellence

Maintaining Excellence

More on standards per level:

http://www.betterhealthatworkne.org/index.php?page=226&section=2

Good practice highlights

The award scheme is free, flexible and open to all employers in the North East and Cumbria, regardless of size, location or type of business.

Cornwall Healthy Workplace (Be Healthy at Work) https://www.behealthyatwork.org/resources/ Area Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Since 2008 Topics covered

Creating a healthy workplace

Health and safety

Recruitment, retention and return to work

Mental wellbeing and stress reduction

MSK including back, joint and muscle health

Smoking, substance and alcohol awareness

Physical activity including active travel

Healthier eating including healthy weight

Choosing well including sun safety Type of support

Events (games, challenges, award ceremonies, annual conference)

Resources (E-bulletins, information and resource centre, toolkits,

corporate benefits with local physical activity providers, evaluation

support, network opportunities)

Practical training and support (awareness training, lifestyle

assessments, workshops, weight management groups, stop

smoking support)

A member of the Healthy Workplace programme will visit

workplaces to see how we can support and help make their

workplace a healthier place. Award structure

Certificate

Bronze

Silver

Gold

Micro Award (for organisations with 1-9 employees)

Mentor Award

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Cornwall Healthy Workplace (Be Healthy at Work) https://www.behealthyatwork.org/resources/

For more on standards per level, see the Workplace health

programme brochure below. Good practice highlights

Offers award structure that is flexible to business size

Offers online self-assessment and evidence collection

Online resources available to all Resources Workplace health programme brochure

https://www.behealthyatwork.org/documents/NHS_Workplace_Health.pdf

Thrive at Work https://www.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/thrive/thrive-at-work/ Area West Midlands Since 2018 Topics covered Enablers of health

Mental health

Musculoskeletal health

Lifestyles

External Risks to health

Each theme has a number of different sublevels. Type of support Comprehensive toolkit with resources and templates to help

fulfil each criterion per theme

Advisors that deal with queries from organisations

Network meetings on themes to promote good practice and

share learning Award structure Bronze

Silver

Gold

For more on standards per level, see the full programme

handbook below. Good practice highlights

Consortium of different stakeholders and partners, including

businesses, local authorities, universities, charities, businesses,

public sector organisations and CCGs

Allows flexibility in the way organisations can use the guidelines

and decide how best to allocate their resource to meeting the

criteria

Free accreditation, toolkit and awards programme Resources Organisation self-assessment:

https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/2564/thrive-at-work-commitment-framework-self-assessment.pdf Detailed brochure:

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Thrive at Work https://www.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/thrive/thrive-at-work/

https://wmca.assetbank-server.com/assetbank-wmca/action/viewAsset?id=1086&index=6&total=10&categoryId=523&categoryTypeId=2&collection=Documents&sortAttributeId=0&sortDescending=false Smaller leaflet: https://wmca.assetbank-server.com/assetbank-wmca/action/viewAsset?id=1085&index=7&total=10&categoryId=523&categoryTypeId=2&collection=Documents&sortAttributeId=0&sortDescending=false Full programme handbook: https://wmca.assetbank-server.com/assetbank-wmca/action/viewAsset?id=1083&index=11&total=12&categoryId=523&categoryTypeId=2&collection=Documents&sortAttributeId=0&sortDescending=false

London Healthy Workplace Award Please note the programme is undergoing an update and will be relaunched soon https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/health/healthy-workplace-charter#acc-i-42964 Area London Since 2019 Topics covered

Type of support Workplace health leads are based in local authority public

health teams and are available across London to provide

support to organisations applying for an award

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London Healthy Workplace Award Please note the programme is undergoing an update and will be relaunched soon https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/health/healthy-workplace-charter#acc-i-42964 Award structure Foundation

Achievement

Excellence

Specialist awards are available for organisations with 10 or fewer workers (Micro Award) and organisations who rent their office space and infrastructure (Communal Workspace Award).

Good practice highlights

London Healthy Workplace Award verifiers are expert

volunteers who support charter verification days. Their role is to

evaluate objectively an organisation’s performance against the

Award standards, identifying strengths and development areas,

recommending solutions and options and providing constructive

feedback in a motivational manner. Resources https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/health/healthy-workplace-

charter

Healthy Working Lives https://www.healthyworkinglives.scot/Pages/default.aspx Area Scotland Topics covered

Managing health and safety

Safety

Risk assessment

Health risks

Mental health

Ill health and absence

Health improvement

Fair treatment

Vehicles and driving for work

Violence and aggression

Each theme has a number of sub-topics. Type of support

Resources (practical advice, guides and tools)

Adviceline, run by specialist advisers with information on a full

range of workplace safety and health topics and providing specialist

practical advice to help with specific problems

Free face-to-face and online training to inform and develop

understanding, knowledge and skills

Staff attendance management and support for return to work

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Healthy Working Lives https://www.healthyworkinglives.scot/Pages/default.aspx

Safety policy development and risk assessment

Wellbeing programmes and mental health support Award structure

Bronze

Silver

Gold

Good practice highlights

All support, training and toolkits can be accessed without taking

part in the awards.

an advice line that is run by specialists to provide help with specific

problems Resources Self-assessments, forms and records, publications, Respiratory

Protective Equipment selector tool, Surveys tool can all be found here: https://www.healthyworkinglives.scot/resources/Pages/resources.aspx

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Healthy Working Wales http://www.healthyworkingwales.wales.nhs.uk/home Area Wales Topics covered Employment advice (e.g. health & safety, attendance

management, etc.).

Managing health at work (e.g. MSK, mental health, cancer, etc.)

healthy lifestyles at work (e.g. alcohol, smoking, healthy eating,

etc.). Type of support

Face-to-face, telephone or online support on the management

of health and safety and sickness absence.

One-to-one support to review and improve workplace approach

to the management of health and wellbeing through a number of

Workplace Health award programmes. Award structure

Two Award Schemes:

Corporate Health Standard (>50 employees)

• Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum

Small Workplace Health Award (<50 employees)

• Bronze, Silver, Gold Resources More on the Corporate Health Standard

http://www.healthyworkingwales.wales.nhs.uk/corporate-health-standard More on the Small Workplace Health Award http://www.healthyworkingwales.wales.nhs.uk/small-workplace-health-award

Worcestershire Works Well http://www.worcestershireworkswell.co.uk/ Area Worcestershire Topics covered The Worcestershire Works Well consists of 9 standards. These

are:

Standard 1 - Promoting Good Health

Standard 2 - Smoking and Tobacco Control

Standard 3 - Healthy Eating

Standard 4 - Health and Safety

Standard 5 - Mental Health and Well-being

Standard 6 - Physical Activity

Standard 7 - Alcohol and Substance Misuse

Standard 8 - Attendance Management

Standard 9 - Leadership

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Worcestershire Works Well http://www.worcestershireworkswell.co.uk/ Type of support Managerial support to commit to Worcestershire Works Well

On receipt of submission form a Worcestershire Works Well

representative will contact the employer to arrange on-site visit

to discuss toolkit and provide guidance for implementation.

Guidance provided by the Worcestershire Works Well

representative to support business to achieve next level

Bi-annual forums provided for workplace health and well-being

champion Award structure Level 1

Level 2

Level 3 Good practice highlights

Engaging with local stakeholders. Worcestershire Works Well

(WWW) is funded by Worcestershire County Council (WCC)

Public Health and carried out by WCC Public Health in

partnership with the Herefordshire and Worcestershire

Chamber of Commerce, Worcestershire Regulatory Services,

Community First – Wellness Works, and the Sports Partnership

Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Two events per year focussing on different topic areas

depending on need and demand. Recently accredited

businesses are awarded their certificate and the initiatives and

approaches that they have been developing are highlighted to

others. The Outstanding Achievement Award has also been

created to recognise one business each year that has taken an

innovative or additional step to improve the health and

wellbeing of its employees and enables this example to be

shared. Resources Worcestershire Works Well Toolkit:

http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/worcestershireworkswell/ downloads/file/1/worcestershire_works_well_toolkit Criteria per standard: http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/worcestershireworkswell/ info/2/toolkit/2/standard_1_promoting_good_health

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Appendix 2: Checklist

Defining the purpose and objectives of the LWHAS

Do you understand the local health needs that the LWHAS is meeting?

Have you determined the focus of the scheme?

Have you set SMART objectives, and have you engaged with local stakeholders to

define those objectives?

Have you developed a logic model for the new LWHAS?

Have you gained internal buy-in for the new LWHAS?

Have you created a convincing external business case?

Stakeholder engagement

Have you established how much resource you can dedicate to building and

maintaining the LWHAS?

Have you mapped what assets you already have?

Have you mapped the resource gaps?

Have you mapped which stakeholders you need to involve and/or engage with?

Have you identified routes into stakeholder networks?

Have you invited the relevant stakeholders to co-design the LWHAS?

Have you considered engagement tactics for small businesses?

Setting up the scheme

Have you established the governance structure of the LWHAS?

Have you defined how the health needs of employees will be assessed?

Have you defined what support structure the LWHAS will provide?

Have you established how you will collect evidence and how the evidence will be

used to assess the business’s health and wellbeing activity?

Have you decided whether the LWHAS will include awards?

If awards: Have you determined the criteria linked to the award structure?

If awards: Have you considered adapting your awards offer to small businesses?

If awards: Have you considered holding an awards ceremony?

Have you considered starting roll out of the LWHAS by building in a pilot phase?

Have you made an annual plan?

Have you developed a communications strategy?

Have you considered what methods you will employ to measure the outputs and

outcomes of the LWHAS?

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Appendix 3: References

PHE’s evidence reviews include:

• Measuring employee productivity: topic overview

• The impact of physical environments on employee wellbeing: topic overview

• Interventions to prevent burnout in high risk individuals: evidence review

Evidence reviews conducted by other organisations, including:

• The Work Foundation and Disability Rights UK’s Peer support for employment: a review of the evidence

• The Institute for Public Policy Research’s Flexibility for who? Millennials and mental health in the modern labour market

• RAND Europe’s (commissioned by PHE) Identifying promising practices in health and wellbeing at work

Appendix 4: Stakeholder consultation

The stakeholders that were consulted to inform this guidance are listed below. We thank them for their collaboration. Council

Suffolk County Council

Cambridgeshire County Council / Peterborough City Councils

North Lincolnshire Council

North Yorkshire County Council

Bath & North East Somerset Council

North Hamptonshire County Council

Lincolnshire County Council

Medway Council

East Sussex County Council

Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

Coventry City Council

Organisation

Federation of Small Businesses

Business in the Community

Department of Work & Pensions

Trade Union Congress

Health and Safety Executive

Workplace Health Scheme

Better Health at Work Award

Thrive at Work

Healthy Working Lives

Healthy Workplace (Be Healthy at Work)

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Appendix 5: Local PHE Centre Leads

PHE Region

PHE Centre Contact name Email

North of England

PHE North East

Denise Orange/ Michelle Mancini

Denise.orange@phe.gov.uk Michelle.mancini@phe.gov.uk

PHE North West

AnneMarie Cain Annemarie.cain@phe.gov.uk

PHE Yorkshire and Humber

Peter Varey Peter.varey@phe.gov.uk

Midlands and East of England

PHE East Midlands

Tracy Carr Tracy.carr@phe.gov.uk

PHE West Midlands

David Elliott David.elliott@phe.gov.uk

PHE East of England

Neil Wood Neil.wood@phe.gov.uk

South of England

PHE South East

Mike Daly/ Sue Dewhirst

Mike.daly@phe.gov.uk Sue.dewhirst@phe.gov.uk

PHE South West

Steve Smeeth/ Dominic Gallagher

Steve.smeeth@phe.gov.uk Dominic.gallagher@phe.gov.uk

London PHE London Monica Acheampong Monica.acheampong@phe.gov.uk